The Barefoot Contessa Original Movie Poster, Linen Backed - 1954 The Barefoot Contessa Original Movie Poster, Linen Backed - 1954 The Barefoot Contessa Original Movie Poster, Linen Backed - 1954 For further information or concierge service regarding this rare item, please call (844) 452-1715 . $1,250.00 AVAILABLE FOR INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING ORDER HERE This original one-sheet movie poster measures 27" x 41" and features a classic image of the beautiful Ava Gardner in a dress alongside the image of Humphrey Bogart's face. The studio that filmed the movie was actually ready to release the movie’s poster without the image of Bogie, which would have been a breach in his contract. As a result, the large drawing of his face was later added on to correct the situation. This poster can be considered to be in a virtually mint condition. It has been professionally linen backed to 30” x 44” in order to preserve its condition. There are no rips, tears or major defects.

Learn More Customers Also Viewed Description “The Barefoot Contessa” is a 1954 drama film starring two legends of American cinema, Humphrey Bogart and Ava Gardner. The movie, directed by Academy Award-winning director Joseph L. Mankiewicz also featured actors Edmond O’Brien, Marius Goring, Valentina Cortesa and Warren Stevens. In the movie, Bogart plays a director who is looking for something to save his career when he discovers a dancer in Madrid played by Ava Gardner. She becomes a star in his next movie and is then courted by numerous men vying for her hand in marriage. “The Barefoot Contessa” is one of the most glamorous films from the Golden Age of Hollywood as it was filmed in numerous locations in Italy. It was well received by critics who praised the movie for its extravagance and it even led to Edmond O’Brien winning the Academy Award in 1954 for Best Supporting Actor. This original one-sheet movie poster measures 27" x 41" and features a classic image of the beautiful Ava Gardner in a dress alongside the image of Bogie’s face.

The studio that filmed the movie was actually ready to release the movie’s poster without the image of Bogart, which would have been a breach in his contract. As a result, the large drawing of his face was later added on to correct the situation. This poster can be considered to be in a virtually mint condition. It has been professionally linen backed to 30” x 44” in order to preserve its condition. There are no rips, tears or major defects. Comes with a certificate of authenticity from Brigandi Coins & Collectibles of New York, a leader in collectibles since 1959. Ships within 2 business days. Close this modal window The Barefoot Contessa (1954) The Barefoot Contessa (From eyeforfilm.co.uk .

1 September 2016, 1:00 PM, PDT) User Reviews: A great Hollywood morality tale See more (78 total) » Cast associate manager of production (as Michael Waszynski) manager of art department (uncredited) Filmmuseum Distributie (2010) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (re-release) Swashbuckler Films (2016) (France) (theatrical) (re-release) (restored version) United Artists (1955) (Argentina) (theatrical) (as Artistas Unidos) 128 min | 130 min (dvd release) (TCM print) Country: Mono (Perspecta Sound encoding) (Western Electric Recording) Certification: Did You Know? Trivia: Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider . See more » Goofs: Continuity: Harry addresses Maria's dressing room with a lit cigarette in his right hand. In the next shot the cigarette is in his mouth. See more » Quotes: Kirk Edwards :You've never done an honest day's work in your life!

Alberto Bravano :I *have* never done a day's work in my life - honest OR dishonest, but neither have you... To make 100 dollars into 110 dollars, this is work. To make 100 million into 110 million, this is inevitable. Referenced in Keratas kai... darmenos (1986) (V) See more » FAQ 11 out of 20 people found the following review useful. A great Hollywood morality tale, 18 February 2003 Author: perfectbond This film covers a lot of the same themes as Sunset Boulevard, though in my opinion that film is more riveting than this one. It's hard to believe Bogart got top billing for this one since this film clearly revolves around Ava Gardner's Maria Vargas. In fact I think you could plug practically anyone world-weary and haggard into Bogart's role and the film wouldn't lose much. I guess they felt they needed his starpower to sell the movie. He just doesn't have much to do in this film. On the other hand Edmond O'Brien is truly memorable as the sweaty publicist.

He deserved the Oscar he got for the role. Maria's relationship with Count Favrini seemed a bit rushed but not to the point that it is totally unbelieveable. Afterall Maria's whole life is supposed to be a fairy tale. I wish somehow they could've developed the role of Kirk Edwards. He came across as one-dimensional. This film being so old, there is no commentary to explain the purpose for this or whether it was by design at all. Despite my complaints, I still enjoyed the film and appreciated its message, 8/10. Was the above review useful to you? Barefoot Contessa (1954): Mankiewicz Hollywood Satire, Starring Bogart, Ava Gardner, and Edmond O’Brien | Emanuel Levy Barefoot Contessa (1954): Mankiewicz Hollywood Satire, Starring Bogart, Ava Gardner, and Edmond O’Brien March 25, 2012 by EmanuelLevy Leave a Comment The Barefoot Contessa, Joseph L.

Mankiewicz’s satire of Hollywood, is a second-rate film, which doesn’t begin to compare with other showbiz melodramas, including Mankiewicz’s “All About Eve”and Vincente Minnelli’s “The Bad and the Beautiful.” Even so, the three central performers, Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner, and Edmond O’Brien, who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, elevate the satire and make it more enjoyable that it has the right to be. The tale begins at the funeral of a former Spanish peasant, cabaret dancer and movie star named Maria Vargas (Ava Gardner, at her most gorgeous), who at the time of her death was a contessa. As was the norm in the early 1950s, her comedic-tragic, bitter-sweet life story unfolds in flashback recollections from her mourners. Prime among them is Harry Dawes (Bogart, in top form), the movie director, who recalls how his very own career was saved when he discovered Gardner on behalf of Howard R. Hughes-like mogul Warren Stevens.

Press agent Oscar Muldoon (Edmond O’Brien, excellent) remembers how Ava was wooed and then abandoned by various beaus, such as millionaire Marius Goring (Alberto Bravano). Italian count Vincenzo Torlato-Favrin (played by the Italian heartthrob Rosanno Brazzi) reflects on how he was able to wed the tempestuous femme, only to watch his world shattered after revealing on their wedding night that he was “only half a man.” Mankiewicz claimed that he base his Oscar-nominated scenaiou on the gorgeous and tempestuous Rita Hayworth, Columbia’s reigning star in the 1940s and 1950. But it doesn’t matter, as Gardner is equally beautiful and her own real life and career paralleled many aspects of the woman she played on screen. Life imitates art: Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) You Cannot Rent A Prince You will receive an email shortly to confirm your email address.

Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) You Cannot Rent A Prince title details and video sharing options now playing Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) You Cannot Rent A Prince Movie star Maria (Ava Gardner), unhappy at a cafe society party, summons Harry (Humphrey Bogart) to complain about her needs, in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's The Barefoot Contessa, 1954. View the TCMDb entry for The Barefoot Contessa (1954) share video Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) You Cannot... Movie star Maria (Ava Gardner), unhappy at a cafe society... Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) You Cannot Rent A Prince Movie star Maria (Ava Gardner), unhappy at a cafe society party, summons Harry (Humphrey Bogart) to complain about her needs, in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's The Barefoot Contessa, 1954.> Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) We Came To... The nightclub in Madrid, in which writer-director Joseph L....

Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) We Came To Madrid The nightclub in Madrid, in which writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz refuses to show "Maria" (Ava Gardner), features Enzo Staiola (from "The Bicycle Thief") then resumes Harry (Humphrey Bogart) in narration, from The Barefoot Contessa, 1954.> Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) Two Dozen... Back at the funeral, Dawes (Humphrey Bogart) standing by,... Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) Two Dozen Nobodies Back at the funeral, Dawes (Humphrey Bogart) standing by, narration by Oscar (Edmond O'Brien) begins, covering the launch of Maria (Ava Gardner) on the world stage, in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's The Barefoot Contessa, 1954.> Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) Open,... The distinctive opening of writer-director Joseph L.... Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) Open, Maria's Funeral The distinctive opening of writer-director Joseph L.

Mankiewicz's The Barefoot Contessa, 1954, starring Ava Gardner, and the initial narration by Humphrey Bogart, as writer-director "Harry Dawes." > Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) Nobody Can... The first appearance by Maria (Ava Gardner) whom Harry... Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) Nobody Can Teach You The first appearance by Maria (Ava Gardner) whom Harry (Humphrey Bogart), sent by his masters, finds in fact shoeless, back stage, where they talk about Hollywood, in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's The Barefoot Contessa, 1954.> AVA GARDNER in The Barefoot Contessa (1954) - YouTube AVA GARDNER in The Barefoot Contessa (1954) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.

Uploaded on Nov 20, 2009 AVA GARDNER - the most beautiful woman to ever appear on film! The Iconic actress stars in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's film playing a Spanish dancer Maria Vargas, who became one of the world's most famous actresses. The character of Maria Vargas is said to be based on Rita Hayworth, who was actually offered the part, but turned it down. Also starring: Edmond O'Brien... Oscar Muldoon (won Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role) Marius Goring... Alberto Bravano Rossano Brazzi... Count Vincenzo Torlato-Favrini Elizabeth Sellars... Jerry Warren Stevens... Kirk Edwards Ava Gardner (December 24, 1922 January 25, 1990) was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Mogambo (1953). She appeared in several popular films during the 1950s, and received BAFTA Award nominations for her performances in Bhowani Junction (1956), On the Beach (1959) and The Night of the Iguana (1964).

Was married to Mickey Rooney and Frank Sinatra. American Film Institute named Ms. Garner among the greatest female stars of all time. Category The Barefoot Contessa Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 18 January 2017 12:17 PM, PST NEWS 54 out of 83 people found the following review useful: Bittersweet tale of success leading to tragedy from Los Angeles, California 4 March 2000 Scouting talent for an upcoming film to be shot in Italy, a trio from Hollywood (writer/director Bogart, producer Stevens and publicist O'Brien) travel to Spain to scope renowned local dancing sensation Maria Vargas (Gardner). Immediately, they are struck by her beauty and presence. In fact, Gardner has a profound effect on every man she meets...though the effect is as unique as each man she encounters. Stevens sees a talent to be exploited for all it's worth and O'Brien sees only huge marquees and dollar signs. But Bogart, after a couple of brief but revealing conversations with Maria, sees so much more.

Expecting a naive Spanish peasant eager to grab at the brass ring, he finds instead a woman as smart as she is beautiful, whose main motivation is to enjoy the challenge and escape that a Hollywood career might offer a woman who will nevertheless always value the simpler things in life. Even with her inate beauty and uncommon savvy, to Maria's detriment she does not have eyes in the back of her head. Told in flashback the viewer experiences her success in Hollywood and her quest to find the true love of a man (Brazzi) that has always eluded her. In the hands of Joseph Mankiewicz, "The Barefoot Contessa" frequently bristles with crackling dialogue (would you have expected less?). Unique to this contribution from Mankiewicz is the portent that hangs over the film. As the details of Maria's life are expounded, empathy for her fate increases accordingly. Impeccably well-cast, this is actually an ensemble film. Gardner is luminous as Maria, though she is not solely dependent on her looks to carry the film--she gives a real performance. Bogart is stalwart and sympathetic as Maria's protector.

And O'Brien, in an Academy Award-winning turn, is sly and oily as the single-minded publicist who changes allegiances as often as his sweat-soaked shirts. Lensed by the great Jack Cardiff and shot largely in Italy, the European ambiance, as well as the snappy dialogue, push the credibility of the premise a notch or two above so many other so-called exposés of Hollywood excess and pretense. Was the above review useful to you? 19 out of 24 people found the following review useful: Just couldn't care about the story or characters. from Groningen, The Netherlands 20 February 2010 This movie sounded like a good idea. It's about the rise and fall of a female movie star and focuses on the upper-class society and the world of Hollywood but in truth and honesty the movie is just too much of a drag, due to the fact that the story just never seems to take off and the characters are not very compelling ones. It probably foremost is the pace that makes this movie its story come across as slow and dull. It seemed like an interesting idea to tel the story of this actress from the viewpoint of several male characters she met throughout the entire movie.

However this way of storytelling instead causes the story to feel like a messy one. I also just don't see how this movie is a good one as an inside-Hollywood movie or social commentary perhaps. The movie to me just seemed pretty pointless and it wasn't going anywhere. It all still could had worked out had the characters been better ones. You can't really blame the actors for not letting the characters work out well enough for the movie. I mean when you have actors like Humphrey Bogart, Ava Gardner and Edmond O'Brien involved, you can hardly blame the acting can you? The movie is just too much talking and not enough drama or romance involved. I didn't very much liked watching this movie and didn't feel involved with it enough but nevertheless I also couldn't hate it. After all, it certainly ain't no bad movie but it still is one that comes across as being uninteresting and pretty pointless overall. 6/10 from Las Vegas 14 July 2001 "The Barefoot Contessa" is a greatly underrated film--which is rather surprising, when you consider the amount of talent involved.

First, there's the brilliant script by Joe Mankiewicz, who was always at his best when dissecting Hollywood and its denizens. The movie's best scene may be the Hollywood party where Kirk Edwards gets his comeuppance, all booze, boredom and viciousness ("What she's got, you can't spell. And what you've got, you used to have."); although the scenes of the pathetic/glamorous European jet set are also excellent, the way Mankiewicz can create a small line or gesture that delineates an entire character. Really, the only time his touch fails him is toward the end, when Maria meets her Count and things get a bit melodramatic. Also magnificent is the cinematography by the always-brilliant Jack Cardiff, who invests everything with color-drenched glamour.

(Did you know that, along with shooting such visual masterpieces as "Black Narcissus," "The Red Shoes" and "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman," Cardiff was also the cinematogrpaher on "Rambo: First Blood." Yikes.) Edmond O'Brien won a well-deserved Academy Award for his portrayal of the sleazy PR man Oscar Muldoon, managing to bring hints of depth and dimension to a character that could have easily been pure caricature. Another fine, if brief, supporting turn comes from Mari Aldon as Edwards' long-suffering mistress, Myrna (especially her "I'm just a scared tramp" exit line). Still, what makes this film work is the presence and performance of Ava Gardner. See "The Barefoot Contessa" and you will understand why many have thought her to be the most beautiful woman ever to grace the screen. She is simply breathtaking.

Ava's appearance alone is enough to give credibility to Maria Vargas' legendary magnetism--and, without that, the whole film would fail, as it's really just about three men standing around one woman's coffin, wondering that made her tick--but it's her work as an actress that raises the character from beautiful blank to irresistible enigma. Even when her dialogue is a bit trite and soap-opera, she manages to make it believable by making shallowness appear to conceal depth (if you get what I mean), and even does a fine job with the accent. This was the film that earned her the tag "the world's most beautiful animal," but Ava Gardner was much more than that. Was the above review useful to you? 25 out of 39 people found the following review useful: Interesting depiction of a Hollywood goddess from United States 30 December 2006 Ava Gardner is beautiful Spanish dancer Maria Vargas who is discovered and given a Hollywood contract in "The Barefoot Contessa," also starring Humphrey Bogart, Edmund O'Brien, Rossanno Brazzi, Marius Goring, and Valentina Cortese.

Written and directed by Joseph Mankiewicz, the story is supposedly based on Rita Hayworth, who turned down the role. There are some similarities - the Spanish roots, the dancing angle, the studio head who desires her but doesn't get her, a la Harry Cohn, and the great sadness of her life. The famous story about Rita is that her first husband, Edward Judson, was nothing more than a pimp, though he is the man who turned her into a movie star. He demanded that she have sex with Harry Cohn, and Rita refused time and time again. Finally, Judson made a date for himself and Rita to go on a boat trip with Cohn, and Judson cancelled at the last minute, leaving Rita alone with the studio head. She still didn't go to bed with him. The story begins at Maria's funeral and is told in flashback by the various men who were in her life. Most of the narration is provided by the Bogart character, writer-director Harry Dawes, who had a unique relationship with Maria - he cared for her deeply and was always there to listen to her and advise her. Maria was a woman whose life was lived as a barefoot Cinderella looking for her prince.

Harry has a sixth sense about things, and when Maria is about to marry the man she believes to be her prince, Count Torlati-Favrini, Harry starts to worry. He knows that, as is often pointed out in the film, real life is much more erratic than a movie script. Edmund O'Brien gives a terrific, Oscar-winning performance as a yes man/publicist who does all the talking for the studio head, Kirk Edwards (Warren Stevens). Bogart is excellent, but he does not have a great role; although he has top billing, he doesn't even have the starring role. One suspects he's there for box office pull. The dialogue has been praised here - Mankiewicz was one of the great dialogue writers, but I found some of the dialogue in this a little pretentious and the pace slow. It's an interesting story, but for me it doesn't compare with "All About Eve" and "Letter to Three Wives" in script or in pace. The star of the film is Ava Gardner. For this writer, Gardner and Hayworth were ultimate sex symbol/movie stars - gorgeous, sexy, exciting women.

Around 32 here and living the wild life she always did, Gardner is breathtaking to look at. After the beginning of the film, she drops the Spanish accent, but she more than makes up for that in presence. Like Lana Turner and Rita Hayworth, she was one of those actresses whose appearance and private life often received more publicity than her actual acting - but Ava could act. There was always something uninhibited, earthy, sexy, and inherently honest about her performances - and she was that way as a woman, too. I highly recommend her autobiography to anyone who hasn't read it. To see this marvelous cast and especially to see them in something written and directed by a fine artist like Mankiewicz is worth it, even if it's a little flawed. Nobody's perfect. Was the above review useful to you?

26 out of 42 people found the following review useful: Ava Gardner acted with the distracted air of a woman searching for something she cannot quite define 8 April 2005 *** This review may contain spoilers *** Ava Gardner replaced Rita Hayworth, in the late forties and early fifties, as Hollywood's leading love goddess She was less sparkly than Rita, and her reign, coming just before Marilyn Monroe's, was a short one, but she had certain symbolic virtues that were not to be denied There is indeed an animal quality about her sensuality She is a proud, restless tigress, sure of her powers, yet confused about their proper uses "The Barefoot Contessa," opens at the rain-drenched gravesite of actress Maria Vargas (Ava Gardner) where the people who were involved with her recount how she arrived at this stern destination They include Bogart as a film director and Edmond O'Brien, who won an Academy Award for his performance as a loud-mouthed press agent Bogart relates how he was hired to write a screenplay featuring a new glamor girl He and a rude millionaire interested in movie-making (Warren Stevens) discover Maria dancing in a Madrid cabaret and choose her as their leading lady She becomes an

 overnight sensation and helps Bogart regain his lost stature...

The remainder of this overlong film then turns to pretentious soap-opera, building to a climax in which Maria and a boyfriend are in face of an impotent husband The film was populated by harsh, self-indulgent, and unsavory men who all came off second-best to Bogart, a cynical but comparatively likable character The plot had strong cinematic possibilities, but the script by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who also directed, had ambiguous passages, overly ornate, and ultimately tiresome Was the above review useful to you? 25 out of 43 people found the following review useful: This film seemed to be populated by one-dimensional characters. from United States 31 January 2004 I expected much more out of the writer of this film. Was he not the creator of "All About Eve"? That was a wonderful satirical work with interesting, believable characters. This movie seemed to be ponderously written with a series of one-dimensional characters, most of them cliches. Humphrey Bogart did his best, but Ava Gardner was unsatisfying, though beautiful to look at--a paper doll.

Edmond O'Brien played his shallow part well, but I was amazed to learn that he took the Oscar from Steiger, Cobb, and Malden in their great turns in "On the Waterfront." I hold Joseph Mankiewicz responsible. If this movie had been well-written, it could have been truly intriguing. Was the above review useful to you? 4 out of 5 people found the following review useful: A Bunion from New York, NY USA 27 October 2009 *** This review may contain spoilers *** Ouch. What can I tell you? "The Barefoot Contessa" is a film so heavy, so un-fun, so self-consciously aware of its own bitter sophistication that I could not find a single saving grace in the picture. Okay, Ava Gardner is luscious, and her lovely breasts are wonderfully showcased. And yes, Bogart manages to turn in a decent performance despite the disastrous dialogue, a tribute to his charm. What went wrong? First and foremost the dialogue, written by director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. There is no action in the film- just characters standing and speaking in the most heavy-handed movie metaphors ever committed to screen.

Voice-over fills every silence to drown us in details that would have choked the actors outright. Ava Gardner & Bogey share a relationship that spans years... and yet they never have a conversation in which either of them simply says what they mean. BOGEY: Has Cinderella found her Prince Charming yet or must she return to the ball? AVA: The actor writes the role for the screenwriter, not the other way around. And yet all this time, the peasant girl abides, and wonders when she must put on shoes and walk out of the valley forever... !CRINGE! Every time I had a vague notion of what the characters were trying to say my attention waned and I had to start all over again. It wasn't worth the effort. If you want to know why novels are adapted and condensed before becoming a screenplay this movie stands as a perfect example. "The Barefoot Contessa" would have made a brilliant novel, but as a film it's a plodding failure. GRADE: D from United States 13 November 2010 (I want to preface my review by stating that I have posted many reviews and am a positive and fair minded critic.

This is by far the most negative one I have ever written.) (I also thoroughly appreciated the excellent commentary by John Holder on page 1 of "hated it." I have seen 2400 films in my 64 years and this is one of the top 10 worse big budget so-called A level films I have ever seen.) This is the second time Ava Gardner has appeared in a film where her husband or lover has somehow lost his penis or else lost its use. This was the problem in the Hemmingway classic novel "The Sun Also Rises" that was made into a film in 1958 when Jake Barnes (played by Tyrone Power) either had Mr. Johnson shot off in WWI or else had it so damaged that he could not use it. I did not understand what happened to Ava Gardner's husband (Rossano Brazzi) in "The Barefoot Contessa." Was his penis shot off? Did he have PTSD(shell shock in those days)? Did it get damaged and cause him to become impotent? Was he gay? Was he a latent homosexual who found out that Ava could not satisfy him? Talk about a hard luck dame (1950s language).

No writer has mentioned that Ava's character was an uneducated peasant woman who did not even have an elementary school education yet she spoke as if she were a college English professor. Talk about stilted language, this takes the cake. The scene where Warren Stevens (Kirk Edwards) and Marcus Goring (the rich playboy) had their verbal confrontation was so silly that I spit up the burrito I was eating. They stood at opposite ends of the lavish mansion and in an excessively theatrical manner started hurling insults at each other. I expected them to challenge each other to a duel. Edmund O'Brien, a fine actor, seemed to have overloaded on caffeine or worse. Rossano Brazzi seemed stupefied as to what motivated his ridiculous character. Humphrey Bogart spent the 1950s attempting to stretch his roles. This was a stretch that Wilt Chamberlain in his prime could not reach. Ava Gardner was being portrayed as an innocent in the woods yet in 1950s style movie subtlety she was sleeping with her "cousin," her chauffeur, the deck hand on her husband's yacht and the gypsy to whom she threw her gambling casino winnings.

Joseph Mankiewitz won back to back double Academy Awards in 1949 and 1950 for writing and directing "A Letter to Three Wives" and "All About Eve." He was a fine writer for almost 20 years before becoming a director. This was his Waterloo. Was the above review useful to you? 13 out of 23 people found the following review useful: It Was Raining At The Funeral from Troy, NY 23 July 2012 This movie sucks so bad! Bogart and Edmond O'Brien do their best, and there are a lot of snappy one-liners about the movie business. But Ava Gardner is lifeless, the story makes no sense, and the whole thing just oozes "tragedy" in the most artificial sense of the word. Here's a taste of what THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA is really like: *** *** *** It was raining at the funeral. I stood alone in my trench coat, wondering why Maria had to die. Wondering what made her life different from a cheap movie script.

Wondering why the most stunningly beautiful woman who ever lived had to throw herself at an old drunk, a gay count, and some random gypsy with a guitar. Was it the men she loved? Or the love she threw away? Was it the animal in her? Or the beast in the heart of every woman? The questions made no sense. The answers had no meaning. Life is like that. Life, the opposite of death. Not the cereal, or the magazine. Maria never had cereal for breakfast growing up. She crawled out of a Spanish sewer and instantly became a star. But a part of her still craved the stench of life. The passion. The forbidden filth. Perhaps the billionaires who pursued her weren't filthy enough. Or was it a different kind of filth? Some filth you can't find in a sewer. Only on the Riviera, or in Hollywood. Maria was pure, too pure for Hollywood. Except when the beast in her sent her running for the filth she once called home. But all of that was just water down the drain. It was raining at the funeral. I stood alone in my trench coat. Waiting for the end of the movie. Was the above review useful to you?

14 out of 25 people found the following review useful: Good Character Study, Writing, & Settings from Ohio 14 November 2005 This sometimes slow, but interesting, movie has a number of strengths, most notably its characters, writing, and settings. The cast also features some fine performances from Ava Gardner, Humphrey Bogart, and Edmund O'Brien. The 'contessa' herself is undeniably the center of attention, but there is also much more to appreciate. Gardner does well in personifying Maria, a character with an unusual mix of earthiness and innocence. The symbolic contrast between wearing shoes and going barefoot seems at first to be a rather obvious device, but as the character is developed, it gradually takes on more meaning. Gardner, with a lot of help from the Joseph Mankiewicz script, is convincing amidst Maria's changing fortunes in love and in her career. Bogart is an ideal choice to play the director, whose own nature has an unexpected combination of world-weariness and integrity. And O'Brien gets one of his very best roles, as a press agent who is largely a parasite, but who turns out to have a couple of interesting things inside of him.

On the surface, the story is a relatively simple tale of a young 'discovery' and of what happens to her after she finds sudden fame. Yet the contrasts and conflicts among the characters, and the contrasts between them and their surroundings, make for plenty of good material. The multiple narratives and the dialogue help considerably in bringing out many of these possibilities. It's an interesting and effective movie that makes its characters come alive, and allows you to spend a couple of hours in their world. Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 8: Amazon.com: Customer Reviews: The Barefoot Contessa The Barefoot Contessa 3.9 out of 5 stars 125 Price:$32.03+ Free shipping with Amazon Prime Your rating( Clear )Rate this item 91 people found this helpful 5.0 out of 5 starsExcellent screenplay. Great acting. Fine directing. ByLinda Linguvicon January 25, 2003 This 1954 film was written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz who sure does know how to make movies. In one of the very first scenes, Ava Gardner is dancing in a nightclub in Spain.

We know she's great even though the camera isn't on her for one minute. All we do is hear the music and watch the faces of the people watching her. By the time we do see her, she's already in her dressing room. She's absolutely gorgeous and lights up every scene she's in. We see her character's rise to movie stardom and share the unfulfilled life she leads. And then, just when we think she's finally found happiness, tragedy strikes. It's a modern day classic drama with a story that pulled me right in. Humphrey Bogart plays a movie director who befriends this "barefoot Contessa", nicknamed that because she was once so poor that she didn't have shoes. She prefers going barefoot and this theme is emphasized all the time, showing her barefoot whenever possible. Rossano Brazzi, who doesn't appear till late in the film, is cast as the true romance in her life. All of these actors do a good job, but I was particularly impressed with the performance of Edmund O'Brien, cast as a public relations man for a studio executive. It's a small part but I just kept thinking how good he was.

Later I discovered that he won an Academy Award for this role. It's the screenplay that moves the action. It never lagged and I sat there with my eyes glued to the screen wondering what would happen next. Considering that this is basically just a love story, that's saying a lot. I totally enjoyed the viewing experience. It's too bad though, that there were no features included on the DVD. It would have been nice to have a little more background. "The Barefoot Contessa" gets a high recommendation from me just because I enjoyed it so much. See all 39 critical reviews › 11 people found this helpful 3.0 out of 5 starsAva Gardner acted with the distracted air of a woman searching for something she cannot quite define... ByRoberto Frangieon December 17, 2006 Ava Gardner replaced Rita Hayworth, in the late forties and early fifties, as Hollywood's leading love goddess... She was less sparkly than Rita, and her reign, coming just before Marilyn Monroe's, was a short one, but she had certain symbolic virtues that were not to be denied... There is indeed an animal quality about her sensuality...

She is a proud, restless tigress, sure of her powers, yet confused about their proper uses... "The Barefoot Contessa," opens at the rain-drenched gravesite of actress Maria Vargas (Ava Gardner) where the people who were involved with her recount how she arrived at this stern destination... They include Bogart as a film director and Edmond O'Brien, who won an Academy Award for his performance as a loud-mouthed press agent... Bogart relates how he was hired to write a screenplay featuring a new glamor girl... He and a rude millionaire interested in movie-making (Warren Stevens) discover Maria dancing in a Madrid cabaret and choose her as their leading lady... She becomes an overnight sensation and helps Bogart regain his lost stature... The remainder of this overlong film then turns to pretentious soap-opera, building to a climax in which Maria and a boyfriend are in face of an impotent husband... The film was populated by harsh, self-indulgent, and unsavory men who all came off second-best to Bogart, a cynical but comparatively likable character... The plot had strong cinematic possibilities, but the script by Joseph L.

Mankiewicz, who also directed, had ambiguous passages, overly ornate, and ultimately tiresome... 1954 Academy Awards® Winners and History Supporting Actress: EVA MARIE SAINT in "On The Waterfront" , Nina Foch in "Executive Suite", Katy Jurado in "Broken Lance", Jan Sterling in "The High and the Mighty", Claire Trevor in "The High and the Mighty" Director: "On The Waterfront" , Alfred Hitchcock for "Rear Window" , George Seaton for "The Country Girl", William Wellman for "The High and the Mighty", Billy Wilder for "Sabrina" The Best Picture winner (of producer Sam Spiegel), director Elia Kazan's semi-documentary, expose, and thriller, On The Waterfront (with twelve nominations and eight wins) matched two other films with eight wins - but they each had thirteen nominations: From Here to Eternity (1953) The awards for the top winner this year included: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Story/Screenplay (Budd Schulberg), Best B/W Cinematography (Boris Kaufman), Best B/W Art/Set Direction, and Best Film Editing.

The low-budget, black and white Best Picture was filmed entirely on location in Hoboken and told the gritty story of New York dock workers, brutality, corruption, and embroilment with a gangster union boss. It provided an expose of union racketeering while showcasing the murder of an innocent longshoreman. Kazan and screenwriter Budd Schulberg justified their own naming of names (blacklisting-testimony against alleged Communists) as friendly witnesses before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in the early 50s with the film's story of an heroic longshoreman informant Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) who stood alone and turned witness against the corrupt and intimidating union bosses and became a marked 'pigeon'. The film marked a comeback for Brando, who hadn't won a Best Actor Oscar - yet.

Losing to the Best Picture winner were these four films: director George Seaton's and Clifford Odets' backstage melodrama The Country Girl (with seven nominations and two wins - Best Actress and Best Screenplay) about the comeback attempt of an alcoholic singer Fox's light CinemaScope travelogue/romance by director Jean Negulesco about three women romantically involved with Italian men in Rome, Three Coins in the Fountain (with three nominations and two wins - Best Color Cinematography (for Milton Krasner) and Best Song, the title song "Three Coins in the Fountain" - remarkably defeating Judy Garland's "The Man That Got Away" in A Star Is Born ) another CinemaScope film and one of the best musical/dance films ever made by director Stanley Donen, MGM's Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (with five nominations and only one win - Best Musical Score) about seven fur-trapping brothers in the Oregon Territory who gradually find wives, starring Jane Powell and Howard Keel the courtroom drama about a naval mutiny based on Herman Wouk's novel, The Caine Mutiny (with seven nominations and no wins) from director Edward Dmytryk Elia Kazan, director of the dockside drama On The Waterfront won his second

 (and last) Oscar, defeating among others director Alfred Hitchcock, who was also nominated for Rear Window .

[The famed suspense/thriller director Alfred Hitchcock has always appeared to be discriminated against by the Academy - he never won a Best Director Oscar out of five tries - Rear Window , and Psycho (1960) . His only Best Director nomination for a color film occurred in this year. Hitchcock resorted to receiving an Honorary Award in 1967.] George Seaton was nominated for two-Oscar winner The Country Girl (Seaton's screenplay for the film was honored with an Oscar for Best Screenplay). William Wellman (who won his only Oscar for Original Story for the earliest film version of A Star is Born (1937)), was nominated for The High and the Mighty. [Wellman had been directing films since 1929 including such memorable films as The Public Enemy (1931) , Nothing Sacred (1937), Beau Geste (1939) , The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) , and The Story of G.I.

Joe (1945), but he was nominated only one other time as Best Director for Battleground (1949) - and he lost then too.] Finally, Billy Wilder, who was also nominated for his screenplay for Sabrina, lost the Best Director award as well. Director Stanley Donen (always snubbed as Best Director), whose superb film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was nominated for Best Picture, was missing from the Best Director nominees. [Donen finally received an Honorary Award in 1997 -- 43 years later.] 1954 was another upset year in the Academy Awards, particularly in the Best Actor and Actress categories, where each favored nominee lost. Marlon Brando's Best Actor victory (he was "a contender" with his fourth consecutive nomination since 1951, and first win!) was for his role as the confused, ex-prizefighter and roughneck longshoreman Terry Malloy, a racketeer's stooge in Elia Kazan's On The Waterfront . The win was a surprise one (Bing Crosby was favored), but a deserved one. His transformation from passive dockworker to a crusader against trade-union tyranny is impressive.

Other Best Actor-nominated performers included distinguished performances: Bing Crosby (with his third and final career nomination) as an against-type, has-been alcoholic actor/singer Frank Elgin in the depressing, realistic drama The Country Girl, one of Crosby's four dramatic roles James Mason (with his first of three unsuccessful nominations) as ruined, alcoholic actor Norman Maine in A Star Is Born (with six nominations and no wins). (In a long career, Mason had only a total of three nominations including later films Georgy Girl (1966) and The Verdict (1982) - Mason never won an Oscar.) Humphrey Bogart (with his third and last career nomination) in the memorable role as paranoid, twitchy, and disintegrating Captain Queeg who is obsessed with cleanliness and rolls steel ball bearings in his hand on the witness stand in The Caine Mutiny .

[Bogart's only win, often seen as a 'payback' career Oscar, came three years earlier for The African Queen (1951) - when he also competed against Brando with his superior performance in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) .] Irish actor Dan O'Herlihy (with his sole career nomination) as castaway Robinson Crusoe in the film adaptation of Defoe's novel in the Luis Bunuel-directed Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (the film's sole nomination) Crosby's co-star in The Country Girl, Grace Kelly, was nominated (with her second consecutive nomination - and her last career nomination) for her de-glamorized role as his frumpy, slatternly, dowdy, embittered wife Georgie Elgin (with horn-rimmed spectacles and a shapeless cardigan sweater), and she won the Best Actress award - her sole win. In her role, William Holden's interest in her destroys her husband's (Bing Crosby) sobered, singing comeback.

[Kelly probably won the Best Actress Award because she was being rewarded for a very versatile year - she appeared in five films in 1954: the other three films were Dial M for Murder, Green Fire, The Bridges at Toko-Ri and Rear Window . Kelly had been better suited in more romantic, sleek, and stylish roles in films such as To Catch a Thief (1955) and High Society (1956).] The other Best Actress nominees included: veteran musical-performer Judy Garland, who was favored to win because of a return to film after four years of personal problems, including breakdowns, attempted suicide, drug problems, and bankruptcy. With her first of two unsuccessful career nominations, Judy Garland played the wife of an alcoholic - a comeback role as Esther Blodgett/Vicki Lester in George Cukor's remake of the 1937 Fredric March/Janet Gaynor film - Roman Holiday (1953) , but would never win another Oscar.] On The Waterfront was one of only a few films in cinematic history that received multiple acting nominations in the same category.

[Other films with three nominees in direct competition with each other in the same category include: Tom Jones (1963), The Godfather (1972) , and The Godfather, Part II (1974) .] Three out of the five nominees for Best Supporting Actor were from the major Oscar winner of 1954, but the roles seemed to cancel each other out and give the vote to the victor: Karl Malden (with his second and last career nomination) played the concerned, liberal, militant waterfront and neighborhood priest Father Barry Lee J. Cobb (with his first of two unsuccessful career nominations) portrayed the unscrupulous, arrogant gangster/union boss-racketeer Johnny Friendly Rod Steiger (with his first of three career nominations) was in one of his best career roles as crooked, opportunistic lawyer Charley Malloy (Marlon Brando's brother) working for the racketeer boss The fourth nominee was Tom Tully (with his sole career nomination) as The Caine's skipper Captain DeVriess (before Bogart took charge) in The Caine Mutiny .

The upset winner in the category was Edmond O'Brien (with his first of two career nominations - and his sole Oscar) as flamboyant, sweaty, slimy and nervous Hollywood publicist/press agent Oscar Muldoon who helps Humphrey Bogart promote a Spanish dancer (the beautiful Ava Gardner) in director Joseph Mankiewicz's trashy melodrama The Barefoot Contessa (with two nominations and one win - Best Supporting Actor). [O'Brien would be nominated only one other time in his career, for Seven Days in May (1964).] In the role of a courageous young, convent-bred daughter of a longshoreman named Edie Doyle (who becomes Marlon Brando's devoted girlfriend at the end) in On The Waterfront , TV and stage actress Eva Marie Saint (with her sole career nomination - and only Oscar win for her first screen role) won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. It was her debut film - and although she was a leading lady in the film, her Best Supporting Actress nomination helped to assure her win.

[Other actresses in future years who would win similar Best Supporting Actress awards for central starring roles include Goldie Hawn in Cactus Flower (1969), Jessica Lange in Tootsie (1982), Geena Davis in The Accidental Tourist (1988), and Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny (1992).] The other Best Supporting Actress nominees were: Nina Foch (with her sole career nomination) as chic, but grief-stricken secretary Erica Martin in director Robert Wise's Executive Suite (with four nominations and no wins) Mexican-born actress Katy Jurado (with her sole career nomination) as Senora Devereaux (Spencer Tracy's Comanche wife) in Broken Lance (with two nominations and one win - Best Motion Picture Story) [Jurado was more memorable in High Noon (1952) but un-nominated] and two co-stars of director William Wellman's The High and the Mighty (with six nominations and one win - Best Dramatic Score) - a suspenseful airline drama with John Wayne as the airline pilot: Jan Sterling (with her sole career nomination) as mail-order bride and plane passenger Sally McKee and Claire Trevor (with her third and last career

 nomination) as aging, jaded, and bitter beauty May Hoist The Best Color Costume Design Oscar was presented to Sanzo Wada for Gate of Hell - this marked the first Japanese-made film to win a competitive award.

To compensate for the fact that screen legend Greta Garbo had never received a competitive Best Actress Oscar, she was belatedly presented with a special Honorary statue "for her unforgettable screen performances" - thirteen years after her retirement from her last film, Two-Faced Woman. [Garbo had four career nominations for exceptional definitive roles including Anna Christie (1929-30) and Romance (1929-30), Camille (1936) and Ninotchka (1939) .] Another Honorary Award was presented to the versatile, red-haired comic Danny Kaye, for "his unique talents, his service to the Academy, the motion picture industry, and the American people." He never even received a nomination throughout his entire film career, that was marked by such great films as Wonder Man (1945), The Kid From Brooklyn (1946), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), Hans Christian Andersen (1952), Knock on Wood (1954), and The Court Jester (1956) .

Oscar Snubs and Omissions: While Hitchcock was nominated as Best Director for Rear Window , the film should have also been nominated for Best Picture, replacing inferior films such as: Three Coins in the Fountain, The Caine Mutiny , and The Country Girl. Three stars of Rear Window (with four nominations, and none for acting), James Stewart (as 'Jeff' Jefferies), Grace Kelly (as Lisa Carol Fremont), and Thelma Ritter (as Stella) were not nominated (the studio - Paramount - promoted Kelly in its other film The Country Girl instead). Another better candidate for Best Picture which wasn't nominated was George Cukor's A Star Is Born , due in part to Warner Bros.' decision to ignore the film during Academy promotions. Director Nicholas Ray's independent, odd cult Western Johnny Guitar with Sterling Hayden, Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge in lead roles, was entirely unnominated. Two other films that deserved more recognition included Douglas Sirk's melodramatic Magnificent Obsession with Jane Wyman (who received a Best Actress nomination, the film's sole honor) and Rock Hudson, and John Huston's quirky adventure comedy Beat the Devil (without nominations) with Humphrey Bogart.

And why wasn't Fred MacMurray nominated (he was never nominated in his entire career) instead of Tom Tully, for his stronger performance as cynical troublemaker Captain Keefer in The Caine Mutiny ? And Charles Laughton was neglected for his role as Henry Horatio Hobson in David Lean's un-nominated British comedy Hobson's Choice. Judy Holliday failed to receive a nomination for her role as Gladys Glover in another Gordon-Kanin-Cukor comedy/satire It Should Happen to You (a film with only one nomination - Best Costume Design) - she co-starred with Jack Lemmon in his film debut. American-born Composer Larry Adler (blacklisted and self-exiled in England) saw his nominated score for Genevieve credited to conductor-arranger Muir Matheson. (The Academy would correct the nomination in 1986.) And the great choreographer Michael Kidd (with no career nominations), responsible for the high-stepping and dancing in Best Picture-nominated Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, finally was given some recognition by a special Honorary Award in 1996 presented by the Academy.

Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) Nobody Can Teach You You will receive an email shortly to confirm your email address. Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) Nobody Can Teach You title details and video sharing options now playing Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) Nobody Can Teach You The first appearance by Maria (Ava Gardner) whom Harry (Humphrey Bogart), sent by his masters, finds in fact shoeless, back stage, where they talk about Hollywood, in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's The Barefoot Contessa, 1954. View the TCMDb entry for The Barefoot Contessa (1954) share video Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) Nobody Can... The first appearance by Maria (Ava Gardner) whom Harry... Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) Nobody Can Teach You The first appearance by Maria (Ava Gardner) whom Harry (Humphrey Bogart), sent by his masters, finds in fact shoeless, back stage, where they talk about Hollywood, in Joseph L.

Mankiewicz's The Barefoot Contessa, 1954.> Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) You Cannot... Movie star Maria (Ava Gardner), unhappy at a cafe society... Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) You Cannot Rent A Prince Movie star Maria (Ava Gardner), unhappy at a cafe society party, summons Harry (Humphrey Bogart) to complain about her needs, in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's The Barefoot Contessa, 1954.> Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) We Came To... The nightclub in Madrid, in which writer-director Joseph L.... Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) We Came To Madrid The nightclub in Madrid, in which writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz refuses to show "Maria" (Ava Gardner), features Enzo Staiola (from "The Bicycle Thief") then resumes Harry (Humphrey Bogart) in narration, from The Barefoot Contessa, 1954.> Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) Two Dozen...

Back at the funeral, Dawes (Humphrey Bogart) standing by,... Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) Two Dozen Nobodies Back at the funeral, Dawes (Humphrey Bogart) standing by, narration by Oscar (Edmond O'Brien) begins, covering the launch of Maria (Ava Gardner) on the world stage, in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's The Barefoot Contessa, 1954.> Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) Open,... The distinctive opening of writer-director Joseph L.... Barefoot Contessa, The -- (Movie Clip) Open, Maria's Funeral The distinctive opening of writer-director Joseph L. Mankiewicz's The Barefoot Contessa, 1954, starring Ava Gardner, and the initial narration by Humphrey Bogart, as writer-director "Harry Dawes." >

Question: Which 1954 film starring Ava Gardner and Humphrey Bogart, was about a Spanish dancer who becomes a Hollywood film star?
Answer: 'THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA'